There & Back
by starxfisch
Summary: Kurt and Blaine break up right before Kurt leaves for NYADA. This is the story of how they come back together again.
1. Prologue

"You need to chase your dreams," Blaine had said.

He and Kurt had dated for nearly a year and half and here they were, on a humid August night in Kurt's bedroom, just a few short weeks away from Kurt moving out of Ohio and out of Blaine's life in way that he had been for those seventeen months.

The empty suitcase on Kurt's bed surrounded by a sea of clothes, brand new school supplies, and must-haves for moving away from home for an extended period of time littered every other available surface.

Blaine still loved Kurt. But he knew the pain of being away may be more than the pain of breaking things off while they were still together; Blaine still had a year to go in high school, and the last thing he wanted to do was hold Kurt back from the many opportunities that would undoubtedly come his way in the next year. So he sat Kurt down that evening and came out and told him.

"I'm going to do nothing but hold you back, Kurt. Our time together has been…" he trailed off. "It's been about as perfect as anything can be. And I'm thankful for that. But even I know that it's…evanescent."

Kurt was sitting across from him in a space on the floor not occupied by a mountain of clothes.

"What are you talking about?" his eyes blinking in confusion, wet with hurt at what his boyfriend was saying, hoping with incredible might that Blaine didn't mean what he thought he did.

Blaine sighed, slinking against the wall, holding back the water that started to form in his own eyes.

"Are you not in love with me anymore?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Kurt, of course I love you. I feel like I'll never stop, like I can't stop that. But that's why I'm…why I'm doing this." He slid over to Kurt to wipe the tear sliding down his cheek.

"You're going to shine, Kurt. I just don't want to keep you from that," he said gently.

Kurt looked at him, his eyes hardening slightly. "Don't you think that's something I can decide for myself?"

Blaine gave him a watery smile. "I know you can. But I also know how hard it feels to say this out loud."

Kurt looked away. He couldn't look Blaine in the eye.

"You have to chase your dream," Blaine said simply.

"I can do that with you," Kurt said. "You can come with me next year. I'll wait for you."

Blaine shook his head. "Don't. High school is my time. The golden years, you know? I can feel it. I'll get stomped out there in the real world. My journey ends here."

"I hate how you don't believe in yourself," Kurt replied bitterly. "You keep talking like that and I might even start believing you."

He turned back to look at Blaine. He couldn't quite place what Blaine might have been thinking.

"So this is it?" he finally asked.

Blaine shrugged and looked down. He shook his head a little. "It's too hard," he said softly.

"Then why are you doing it?" Kurt hissed. "Why are you breaking up with me?"

"I already told you, and I'm not going to change my mind," he started to stand up. "It's going to hurt either way, and I really think I'm just doing us a favor at this point."

He looked down at Kurt who looked right back up at him.

"I love you, Kurt." He bent down on one knee, planting a simple kiss to Kurt's lips, their tear streaked cheeks brushing each other.

Blaine pulled away. He brushed Kurt's cheek, ghosting his finger one last time under Kurt's jaw, on his neck. He gave him a watery smile, all that he could manage, and got up. He got up and walked out without looking back.

Kurt sat on his floor, hugged his knees to his chest, eyes shut tight in the hope that maybe he was just asleep, that this was merely a figment of his unconscious imagination. All he could comprehend was his shallow breathing, his heart beat pounding in his ears, and the echo of a door as it closed shut.

The years of a person's life tend to have a certain nostalgic aspect before they all start to run together. For Blaine's senior year of high school and Kurt's freshman year of high school, it was the bitter sting of longing and attempts of moving on that marked their experience.

This was not to say that they didn't enjoy themselves.

Blaine was featured on several solos throughout the year in glee club. They even won, up through Regionals. They didn't make it to Nationals that year, but it was okay.

Blaine graduated from high school with silver chords, honors, and a theater scholarship, unsure of whether he wanted to perform or direct or produce, so long as he was in the theater community. He spent plenty of time with his other friends from glee club, went on stunning vacations with his parents, practiced, studied, and came out graduating in a state to be proud of.

Things weren't bad. Not completely.

Kurt had dominated his first year at NYADA. His attendance with Rachel Berry proved interesting and, not entirely surprisingly, successful and quite a bit of fun. He and Rachel fell in love with the city the second they stepped off the airplane. And though the prick of hurt that remained in Kurt's hurt was present, he was able to move on from it and live his new life as a performance major.

He grew immensely in his first year; his dancing was put to the test and rendered him practically unable to move by the end of the day while his vocals were tested to their limits—in the end, it ended up being of great service, though he was on the verge of losing his voice on more than one occasion. He even got to try his hand at acting, a change of pace from the strict form of glee club in high school. And in the end, all of this proved largely helpful and to be great techniques in making him his best.

So things weren't bad. Not completely.

But this didn't mean that some days weren't harder than others. Both shared their sleepless nights, their looks back on regrets, mistakes, and memories with solemnity. The prospect of ever seeing their first love again was a stretch, and they both attempted to move on. It was easier said than done.

But the year had passed. They hadn't talked. Not once.

And now Blaine Anderson was in New York City for the first time, riding a taxi through the bustling streets on an unusually cool August night. His parents had dropped him off at the airport that morning, promising to send out his stuff the next day and giving last minute hugs, kisses, and words of encouragement. Blaine boarded the plan at 5:00 P.M, looking out the window as they faded from Lima suburbs to towering skyscrapers and buildings that lit the night sky in New York. His nerves built up a little. He got off, found his ride quickly, and here he was. Going through the city that he would be living in for four years. The city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, they called it. The city where he knew there were hundreds of thousands of people, but maybe, just maybe he would find the one...

He shook the thought out immediately.

There was no point in wondering about Kurt, where Kurt was and what he was doing.

Because it was the start of Blaine's future. Time to forget the past and move on, leaving the ghosts of his past behind him as he drifted through the streets of New York.


	2. News

5

Kurt would never forget his first day in New York City. The way the air felt on his face and in his hair as he walked down the sidewalk, the innumerable people he passed on his way to the coffee shop down the street from campus, the sound of traffic and chatter and buildings towering above his tiny body.

Though the city was big, the biggest place he had ever been to, he felt like he was on top of the world. The scale of the city, rather than making him feel smaller and insignificant, managed to build him up, managed to inspire him to strive for more in the midst of an aspiring artist's dream.

The thing that set New York apart from Lima was the fact that the city felt connected; everyone had similar goals, everyone strived, just like he was. So he kept going; along they way, he helped his classmates and they helped him in return. Gone were the days of slushies in the hallway and the pushes and shoves into hard metal lockers.

Blaine had a similar feeling upon his arrival a year later. Though he arrived at night, he felt the same buzz of excitement welling up inside him. The city was alight and alive and it seemed as though the whole city was out that night. He was walking down the street that Tisch School of the Arts was located on, turning and wandering down different blocks all the while trying to making sure he knew where he was; adventuring alone on your first day in New York is something he knew wasn't smart.

He couldn't stop himself from thinking back to Kurt. He thought about what Kurt had thought the second he arrived in this same city. He already kind of knew; he knew that Kurt had loved it and thrived in such a big city. He knew that Kurt wouldn't be intimidated, but that it would only make him want more.

They say you never forget your first love, and if that was true, Blaine didn't know how he was ever going to move on. The ache was still fresh as it had been when he walked out that door nearly a year ago.

When he got back to his dorm that night, he sighed contentedly as he settled into his bed. He took his shirt off and crossed over to look out his window. Out and down below he saw his new city and he knew it was the start of something better.

It was September, and the air in New York was growing cooler, the leaves of trees beginning to change in Central Park.

Kurt was really looking forward to his sophomore year of college. The first one had gone so well that the prospect of everything this year held, the increase of opportunity, it all only excited him.

Kurt went to his regular coffee shop on the first day of class, just as he had done so often his freshman year. It was about a five minute walk from his morning class, so he almost always had time to go. It was an older shop with a few modern twists. There were little tables throughout, and the scent of coffee enveloped his senses as soon as he stepped inside. He had been gone for the entire summer, nearly forgetting the elements of one of his favorite places in all of Manhattan.

He would always go after classes occasionally to do homework if he didn't feel like staying in his dorm or using one of the libraries on campus. It was an inviting environment that never failed to make him a little happier, especially considering he knew all of the employees' names, and they knew his, by the end of last year.

"Hey, Kurt," the barista greeted from behind the counter. "Long time no see. How'd your summer go?"

"Oh, tt was pretty great with the exception of having to go back to Lima, Ohio. I'm telling you, that place is a hell hole. But I got to see my family and some of my closest friends from high school, so it was all right."

Kurt tried to push out the fact that he saw everyone from glee club that summer except for Blaine. They all told him about how they won Sectionals and did really well at Regionals, but had been beaten by Dalton Academy that year. He saw his other friends who had graduated with him, heard about everything that they were doing after their first years.

Blaine never came up. Everyone knew how bad the break up had been, so they left it alone.

"Good to hear," the barista said, interrupting his thoughts. "Glad you're back though. What can I get you?"

Kurt ordered and stood to the side while he waited for his order. He glanced over by the door just in time to see a familiar face come flying through it.

"Kurt! I'm so glad I caught you," Rachel said, rushing over to him and pulling him into a smuggling hug. "We have to get to class early, Nora said she had an important announcement, and we cannot be late. You know Nora, Kurt, it's going to be something BIG."

Nora was one of their professors who Kurt and Rachel—and consequently quite a few other students—spent a large amount of time with in their first year. She was sort of an academic advisor, theater expert, therapist, teacher, and performance goddess all wrapped in one. She was in her sixties and had more experience with theater and performance than many of the other teachers at NYADA had combined. The students both feared and worshipped her, but in the end, she really was there to help them.

"Hmm," Kurt said, his eyebrows pulling together. "What do you suppose it could be?"

"I don't know," she said, her eyes wide. "What if it has to do with the final?"

Kurt immediately knew what she was referring to. At most colleges, a declaration of your major is required at the end of the sophomore year; since most students at NYADA were majoring in performance of some kind, they were required to write an excerpt from a play of their own creation. It required the triple threat of acting, singing, and dancing, which meant original script, composition, and choreography were required. It was like a jury for performance majors.

Kurt's eyes grew wide. "Let's go," he said, grabbing his nonfat mocha which had been placed on the counter only a second earlier and stalking out the door, nearly plowing over a slightly shorter man with dark, curly hair who was entering the coffee shop at the same time.

They practically ran to their first class which would be a seminar for sophomore students who included vocal performance in their major, completely unaware of everything and everyone they passed along the way. They took their seats in the theater-style seats, near the front and began speculating over what they were going to be told.

More seats began to fill up as the time ticked by, and soon everyone was there. The bell rang, and moments later, the woman herself was at the front of the room.

"Welcome back, my little aspiring dreamers," she said with a deep, strong voice. "I hope your summer was satisfactory and prepared you for one of the most grueling and rewarding years of your life here at the Academy. We are going to push you harder than you've ever been pushed, we're going to make you fight harder and go past any borders you thought once stood in your way in performance." She beamed at them as she scanned her eyes across the audience.

The students stared back at her intensely, their breaths caught in their throats as they leaned forward, eager for the news they knew they were about to receive.

"Now as I expect you all know, you have a sophomore project that is due at the end of this year. It is due on May 1st to be exact; performances will take place that whole week. Everyone will watch the performances. This means everyone, no taking off for vacation early. Sophomores will not have an exam, because this is punishment enough."

She paused briefly.

"Here's the good news for you all," she said, giving a small, knowing smile. None of the students were at ease enough to smile or laugh back. "This is a prep seminar. You will have this hour every morning to come and work on your original works. This includes song, acting, and dance. You can choose to come to this, or not, but I will be available to

help if you need it."

The room relaxed slightly, though not completely; they knew there was more than what Nora was saying.

"Now," she said. "There is a small catch. This year, we will be adding an additional requirement to the assignment."

Kurt shot Rachel a glance. Both of their eyes widened, their bodies tensing up. They turned back to the front of the room.

"This year, we are adding the requirement of a performance of a selection from the showtune Broadway catalogue. The performance of the song in which you hold the biggest emotional attachment to…"

She started to walk around at the front of the room, using her hands as she spoke.

"Pick a song that fires you up, that makes the tears stream down your face. Get in tune with that, no matter what it is, and use it. Use it to your full advantage to portray fully what it means to be a performer, to be a star. You all have it in you. I believe in you."

She scanned the room. "That is all for now. Good luck to all of you," she said before exiting.

The room started to buzz with excited chatter.

"Well that's not so bad, right?" the kid behind them was saying, getting up and leaving with another.

Kurt looked at Rachel. "Better pull out the Big Book of Barbra, Rachel," he said.

She smiled at him. "You know me too well. We'll see what I can come up with. How can I be expected to pick just one… I mean, I cry anytime I sing anything!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "That's true."

"What about you?" she asked him. He glanced over at her.

"What song are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet," he said, shrugging. "It's not like I have to pick right now. I'm sure I'll come up with something."

"Don't put it off too long, Kurt Hummel. You'll regret it."

They swung their bags over their shoulders and started to head for their next class, thoughts of channeling their deepest and most intimate emotions in front of their peers starting to consume their thoughts.

The next week passed fairly quickly. Classes kept Kurt busy. While NYADA was a performance school first and foremost, core classes still were necessitated. Kurt's mind was buzzing with ideas for the final, but no matter what he tried, he was struggling to actually get the thoughts out on paper.

It was a late Friday afternoon when he walked down to his favorite coffee shop. He arrived just after 4:30, and the sun was already starting to set, a sign that autumn was rapidly approaching. He ordered his usual and picked a small table by the window, pulling out his laptop to get started. He knew he had nearly nine months to complete the project, but he also knew that it was time that he couldn't afford to waste.

The light chatter around him, the occasional tinkling of the bell of the door signaling a customer coming or going, and the soft music playing on his iPod allowed for a more productive hour than his quiet dorm room could offer. He had managed to get a few ideas typed up.

He started to put away his laptop and finish the few sips left of his coffee. He glanced around the shop, looking to see if he might know anyone or see a fellow classmate also working to hammer out some ideas when his eyes landed on a head of dark hair, curly yet gelled down slightly.

The man's face was looking down intently and his dancing hazel eyes were lit up by his own laptop screen, typing away as he sipping his coffee. If Kurt didn't know any better…

The man set his cup down and glanced up. He started stretching his arms, eyes wandering slowly before his eyes met Kurt's, coming to a halt.

Kurt froze—he knew it in an instant; it was Blaine Anderson.


	3. Uncertainty

_Oh. My. God. _

Kurt was unsure of what to do in that moment. Blaine definitely knew it was him. There was no doubt in that, just as there had been no doubt that, the second he laid eyes on him, he knew it was Blaine.

What was Blaine doing in New York? What was he doing in this coffee shop that Kurt spent so much of his free time in during the school year?

Thoughts went by faster than Kurt could comprehend, and all he could do was sit and stare, wide eyed and open mouthed.

It took a moment to register that Blaine had gotten up and was walking towards Kurt with a big, goofy grin on his face.

Kurt shook his head, shaking the thoughts out and forcing himself to focus on what was happening.

"Kurt!" Blaine was calling as he approached Kurt, holding his arms out.

Kurt stood in a complete daze and took a step towards Blaine. And in the next minute Blaine's arms were wrapped around him, hugging his back, encasing Kurt in a feeling that was all too familiar, all too comfortable, because Blaine had held him like that so often sometime ago. He was rubbing Kurt's back a little bit, as he so often had done, before he pulled away, his arms on Kurt's shoulders.

"God, I can't believe it's you! How are you? It's been so long. I can't believe you're here! Well, I mean, I can, of course, but you're…here!" he said, looking around the coffee shop as if to emphasize his point that yes, the two of them were in the same coffee shop in a city far from the one they both left behind.

He was looking at Kurt expectedly with a stupid adorable grin on his face that put Kurt a little bit at ease, making him actually be able to smile back.

"Um…yeah. I mean, this is usually where I come when I study or get my morning coffee before school…" he trailed off, unable to remember where he was going or what he could say.

"Wow! Yeah, I'm right around the corner at Tisch. You're still at NYADA I'm assuming? How is it going?"

Kurt continued to stare at Blaine. He looked so much the same, yet different in ways that Kurt couldn't' place. He still had his hair gelled, though it was so much less, allowing it to be wavy and controlled. He was wearing jeans and a cardigan and shoes that he had since he was a sophomore, shoes that Kurt could visualize laying haphazardly on his mudroom floor or the foot of his bed at Dalton.

But he looked so much older. He was wearing dark rimmed, rectangular glasses, a change that surprised Kurt. He remembered Blaine always having contacts. And a tiny bit of stubble was lining his jaw. The Blaine he remembered was so clean cut, never allowing more than a day or two to go by before shaving.

And his eyes remained golden and shining brighter than ever.

"—urt…Kurt, hey, are you okay?"

Kurt came to, and halted the thoughts which were, once again, making him unable to form coherent thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he started. "It's just…Blaine, what in the world are you doing here?"

Suddenly his ability to articulate his thoughts came back and now he couldn't stop. "I mean, I haven't seen you in over a year. We haven't talked once. I never got a phone call, a text, a message on Facebook…I mean, what are you doing here? Why are you in New York and why are you in this coffee shop? How can you come and talk to me like it's the most normal thing in the world?"

Blaine's smile began to drop. His eyes dampened a little and he looked back at Kurt with that look that Kurt had seen before, the look he had gotten whenever they were in a fight.

They stood for a minute, an awkward silence falling between them.

"You're right," Blaine finally said, softly. He looked up at Kurt and Kurt looked back. "I'm so sorry, Kurt, I don't know why I came over here. I just, I saw you and I immediately knew it was you and, and I've missed you so much. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, um…this isn't coming out how I wanted it to."

Kurt watched a slight blush come across Blaine's face. He smiled. As much as he didn't want to, he missed Blaine's flustered moments.

"Would you maybe want to get dinner tonight?" Blaine asked. "Shit. I'm sorry. I can't stop myself. It's like, now I see you, and…and…" he gestured towards Kurt.

Kurt got a tiny grin on his face and his eyebrows knitted together. "And what?" he asked.

"I miss you."

The words hit Kurt harder than he thought they would. There he was, standing in the familiarity of the coffee shop that was his own Lima Bean in New York City, with the familiarity of the boy who he had loved since the day he met him, the same boy who broke his heart, and it all felt so far off. None of it felt familiar at all.

"I'm sorry, Blaine, but—it was nice to see you and all," Kurt finally said, reaching for his bag and starting to head towards the door.

"Kurt, wait," Blaine said, reaching out to take Kurt's arm, stopping him. Kurt turned around to look at him.

"I'm sorry," Blaine spoke quietly. He lowered his hand to take Kurt's, squeezing it gently. "I mean it, Kurt. I am so sorry."

Kurt's own eyes started to sting with fresh tears. He shook his head before bolting out the door, walking out of Blaine's life like Blaine walked out of his a year ago.

"Rachel, this is a dire emergency, can I please come up to your room?" Kurt said as he strode down the active sidewalk.

"Sure, but what's wrong, Kurt?"

"I'll tell you when I get there, see you in five."

Kurt threw Rachel's door open and immediately collapsed on her bed.

"Kurt?" Rachel came running in from her bathroom in pajamas and a giant towel wrapped around her head. "What happened? Does if have to do with your final—you were working on that weren't you? God, I'm so screwed, I haven't even started…" she kept going before Kurt just groaned.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry." She crawled over to sit against the headboard next to Kurt's head. "Tell me what happened," she said, folding her hands in her lap.

Kurt sat up. "Okay, you're going to freak out, but please refrain until I'm done."

She leaned forward, anticipating whatever it was that Kurt was going to tell her.

"So yes, I was working on my final. I was at that coffee shop down the street, just minding my own business, and I was about to come back when…I saw him."

"Him who?" Rachel asked, anxiously.

He inhaled. "Blaine," he said, letting the breath out.

Rachel's eyes bugged out of her head. "What?"

"I know, I know!" Kurt sat up, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to his chest. "He was sitting at a table across the room from me, and…and…"

"And what?" Rachel practically screamed, bouncing up and down.

"And he came over and said hi to me," he finished.

"Kurt! Oh my gosh, what did you guys talk about?" she asked giddily.

He laughed at her, what he considered, overexcitement. "Not much, honestly. I ran out before we really got anywhere."

"Kurt," she said angrily. "Why did you do that? He's in New York, this could be your one chance to get everything you had with him back! And don't try to act like you got over him because I KNOW that's a big, fat lie."

She knew him too well.

"I couldn't do that Rachel."

"And why not?" she demanded.

He sighed. "Because while I never really got over him, it doesn't change the fact that he broke my heart." He sniffled.

Her expression changed to sympathy. "Aw, it's okay," she said, sliding closer to him "But, Kurt, that was over a year ago. And you know that he only did it to…to, you know, alleviate the pain. To make it easier for you two…"

"Then why couldn't' he have just tried to keep it together? I was willing to wait for him and he wouldn't even listen to me. He just left. Never called or anything, and that hurt so bad, Rachel. I can't just get over it."

"I know, I know," she said rubbing his back. "But Kurt, you know, deep down, that he was trying to do what he thought was best for you. He wasn't doing it to hurt you, he wasn't doing it to break your heart or leave you lonely. He was doing it because he wanted what was best for you and because he loved you with all his heart. Sometimes we have to let the ones we love go if we think it will be for the better."

After a couple minutes of silence, she spoke again. "So what are you going to do?"

He thought for a minute. He knew she was right. He looked up at her. "What do you think?"

She gave him a little smile. "I think true love waits. And that it always finds a way back."

After talking with Rachel, Kurt knew exactly what he wanted to do.

He remembered Blaine mentioning Tisch, that he was attending there—not that Kurt was in the least bit surprised—so he decided to stake it out the next day.

Luckily for him, besides his morning Final prep, he didn't have any other classes that day. He left as soon as the time was up, walked down to the coffee shop to buy a nonfat mocha and a medium drip and headed around the corner to Tisch.

Kurt went to center of the campus and sat on a bench that was located near a fountain. He sat down, pulled out his phone, and very nervously dialed Blaine's number. As long as they had been apart, he hadn't been able to bring himself to delete it.

It rang four times before going to an answering message. Kurt hoped so badly that Blaine wasn't ignoring him. As mad as Kurt was, it would just make him mad all over again.

He decided to wait a little while longer. He sat and watch all of the other students walking to their classes, cell phones, scripts, and sheet music in hand. He smiled. It was eerily similar to NYADA.

After about twenty minutes, Kurt's phone rang. His heart started to beat a little faster as he picked it up and looked at the name.

Blaine Anderson.

He grinned and immediately picked up. "Blaine?"

"Kurt? Hi," Blaine said on the other end.

"Blaine, where are you?"

"I just got out of class…why?"

"Come to the center of the campus—or at least what I think is the center of campus. I don't know, the place with the benches and the fountain."

"K. I'll be there in 30 seconds."

Kurt looked at his phone. The call had ended. He looked around, searching for Blaine's face amidst the crowd. Finally he noticed a head of gelled curls. Blaine was wearing an outfit similar to the one he had been wearing the previous day but he resorted back to contacts. He was giving Kurt that smile that he always gave him. Kurt wished he wouldn't do that; it didn't make not being over him any easier.

"Hey," Blaine said walking up to him.

"Hi," Kurt said, standing and handing the medium drip to Blaine.

Blaine looked at it and smiled. "Gee, thanks, Kurt," he said taking a sip. "Mm. Medium drip?"

"I hope you still like it," Kurt said shyly.

"You can never go wrong with a medium drip," Blaine said with a smile. Kurt smiled back.

"So, um, what are you doing here?" Blaine asked. "I mean, you kind of ran out when we were talking yesterday and…"

"Yeah, I know. I'm, um, really sorry about that," Kurt said looking down.

They stood for a moment before Blaine said, "Walk with me."

They headed farther away from the campus and towards the city's streets, coffee in hand.

"So why did you leave yesterday?" Blaine finally asked, breaking the silence that had once again settled.

"Because I was scared. Because I was so stunned that you just walked back into my life so easily," Kurt said.

Blaine nodded, biting his lip. "Yeah, I guess I can understand that."

"But I talked to Rachel and—"

"Wait, Rachel Berry?" Blaine asked. "Man, I haven't seen her in forever!"

"Yeah, she's here with me. Anyways, I talked to her and decided that maybe I shouldn't have done that after all."

"Why?"

Kurt didn't answer right away. "She just talked me through it. And what I decided was that it would be silly for us not to reconnect. I mean, we were boyfriends, but we were friends once too. I think we can keep that, don't you?"

"Of course," Blaine said, giving him a smile.

They were walking through the crowds, the magnitude of what was happening hitting Kurt. He was in New York, attending his dream school, and he was walking alongside Blaine. It was all too surreal.

"We probably shouldn't go too far, I have another class in 15 minutes," Blaine said, stopping to check his watch.

"Oh, okay," Kurt said, a little disappointed. "I'm glad I caught you."

"Me too," Blaine said, giving Kurt that same damn smile. Kurt couldn't decide if he loved or hated him.

"Well," Blaine said, turning to head back.

"Wait," Kurt called. Blaine stopped.

"How about dinner tonight? I know of a really good place not far from here. We could check it out and catch up?"

Blaine hesitated before answering but then said "I'd love that. I can meet you on the corner by the coffee shop, around 7:30?"

Kurt smiled. "Perfect."

"Perfect," Blaine said back. "I'll see you then, Kurt."

"See you then," Kurt called as Blaine turned to head back.

Kurt's grin spread wider across his face. He had seven hours. Just enough time to plan the perfect outfit.


	4. Serendipity

**Chapter Three**

Kurt was finishing up his hair when he heard a knock at the door.

"C'min," he called, already knowing full well who it would be.

Sure enough, a few short seconds later, Rachel Berry was at his side.

"Spill," she said, a giant, excited grin covering her face.

He smiled and rolled his eyes, continuing to use his comb to part his hair the way he wanted it.

"So, I brought him coffee today," he stated.

"You did? How on earth did you find him?" she asked.

"I never exactly deleted his number," he explained. "So I called him and told him to meet me where I was waiting with his old favorite coffee order."

"Okay, Kurt, seriously? You were so confused and so mad at him yesterday! What happened between then and this morning that changed your mind?"

He turned to face her. "Okay, okay. You were right, Rachel. It's stupid to pretend that I ever got over him, because let's face it, I didn't. I know it's kind of taking a big risk, but he initiated it to begin with. I think it's worth the shot."

She nodded. "Hey, I get it. And I think it's great, you know. Such an amiable reunion. I wouldn't even mind seeing ol' Blaine again," she said with a smile and she stood up. "Well, good luck on your date, Kurt—"

"I wouldn't exactly call it a date," he interjected.

"Well, whatever you want to call it," she said with a wave of her hand, "enjoy it." She bent down to give him a hug and a quick kiss on top of his head before leaving.

He turned back to his mirror and ran the comb through his hair a couple more times for good measure. He let out a deep sigh before putting his wallet in his back pocket, grabbing his phone and heading out the door, down the hall, out the door and into the cool New York night.

It was 7:28 when he arrived at the street corner that they agreed on. Blaine wasn't there yet, but Kurt was happy because it gave him a chance to let his nerves out a little bit. He tapped his foot anxiously, twiddled his thumbs and looked around for any sign of Blaine.

It was 7: 32 when Blaine arrived from the sidewalk on Kurt's right side.

"Hey," he said with a grin.

Kurt turned. "Oh, hi, Blaine," he was saying before Blaine's arms were around him in a hug. He hugged back, wrapping his arms around Blaine's waist and reveling in the familiar feeling that he had forgotten after so long, one that felt both foreign yet recognizable since their hug the previous evening. The feeling of Blaine's body beneath the fabric of his clothes, the softness of his hair brushing his cheek, and a hint of cologne that Kurt didn't recognize.

They let go. "So," Kurt stated, "I know of a great place a couple blocks down. It's just a quaint place that would be perfect."

"Sounds great," Blaine said.

They began walking down the street, the lights of the buildings all starting to turn on as the night sky grew darker.

"So, I'm dying to know what you think," Kurt said.

Blaine turned to look at him, puzzled. "About what?"

"This!" Kurt said, gesturing up and around himself. "New York. The city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, you know. All of that."

Blaine laughed. "Well, I have only been here for two weeks. But your guess is probably good. I loved it the minute I stepped off the plane. I got here in the evening, on August 21st. The city was lit up, and there were people everywhere, the buildings were huge, and there were taxis everywhere. It was everything my imagination thought it would be."

Kurt was nodding.

"And I love it," Blaine finished.

Kurt smiled at him. "Yeah, I'll never forget my first day in the city. Rachel and I went out after we got our stuff in our dorms. We hadn't even unpacked yet. And we didn't bring a map…we just headed out and explored the setting that had consumed our minds for that whole last year of high school."

"Amazing, right?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah," Kurt said, letting out a sigh, still marveling at everything around him after having lived here for a year. "Amazing."

They finally reached their destination. Kurt stepped up to the door and opened it for Blaine.

"Thank you," Blaine said, entering the restaurant. It had dark walls with lights and candles all around.

There was a man at the front taking names, though not many of the tables were filled, so he led them in right away.

"Enjoy, gentlemen," he said after placing two menus before them and going to assist a couple who had just walked in.

They said their thanks and took their seats, opening their menus.

They were silent for a few moments. Kurt looked up at Blaine as sat across from him reading the menu intently. He was wearing his glasses. He had a red, plaid dress shirt on with a black, half buttoned cardigan, but unlike his attire so often entailed in high school, there was no bow tie, and his shirt was unbuttoned at the top. It hit Kurt who he hadn't seen this man since he was ending his junior year of high school. There he was, Kurt knowing he was 19 by now, and he had really grown up. Maybe he changed in more ways than one. Maybe he changed a lot. He didn't realized he was still staring.

Blaine looked up, a little self consciously. "So, uh, do you have any recommendations?" he asked

Kurt shook his head a little. "Sorry," he said, looking back down at his menu.

Blaine set his menu down. "Are you okay, Kurt?"

Kurt kept his eyes downcast. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just haven't been here in a while."

"Kurt," Blaine said.

Kurt looked up at him. Blaine was looking at him in that way that Blaine always looked at him when he knew something was on his mind. The look in his eye, his lips crooked, and his eyebrows raised slightly.

"It's just…this," Kurt finally said, setting his own menu down.

"I mean, this is just so crazy. I was so mad at you and I—"

"Are you ready to order, guys?" the waiter asked as he approached their table.

"No, not yet. Just a couple more minutes please," Blaine said to him.

"Sure," the waiter said as he walked away.

Blaine looked back to Kurt and reached his hand out to touch Kurt's resting on the table top.

"I know." he said. "I just, um, really hoped this would work again. If this is too weird, we don't have to," he began.

"No, no," Kurt said, shaking his head. "It's not that. I just, I mean I have to wrap my head around it all. I mean, what are the odds of this, when you think about it?" he asked.

Blaine gave him a big, tight-lipped smile. Kurt knew the look well. "They have a name for it," he said.

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "They do?"

Blaine nodded. "Serendipity."

_It had been a long running joke with Kurt, Blaine, Burt, and Carole. It was their first time out to dinner, just the four of them. _

_Burt and Carole couldn't have a higher opinion of Blaine. Knowing all of the trouble that Kurt had gone through prior to his transfer to Dalton, and the shift in attitude and confidence that he held after meeting and becoming friends with Blaine weren't even comparable. _

_So there they were, at Breadstix, enjoying a dinner together for the first time since Kurt and Blaine officially became a couple. _

_Blaine told Burt and Carole about himself—his studies at Dalton, his interests outside of school, and his passion for performance—while he watched the three of them interact and learned about Kurt's family, and therefore more about Kurt. _

_They had only been together for a couple weeks, but Blaine was so happy. His own family wasn't that close, and they weren't as accepting of his sexual orientation as Kurt's parents, so it was a breath of fresh air. _

"_We want to hear the story," Carole had said. "About how, you know, how you boys got together," she said with a grin as she sipped her champagne._

Blaine blushed slightly, and Kurt, took his hand under the table giving it a little squeeze. He then proceeded to fill his dad and stepmom in on all of the details, exaggerating some parts and leaving others out. 

_Burt and Carole were completely engrossed. At the end, Carole had a tear in her eye and she raised her glass. "You know what they call that, boys? Serendipity. Love always finds a way." _

_Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand this time, which he was still holding. And they all raised their classes, toasting to the newfound love that belonged to Kurt and Blaine. _

The tension and awkwardness that might have existed before seemed to settle away. Kurt smiled at Blaine. He raised his glass of champagne—Kurt was 21 by this time—and they toasted to this concept that had so easily found itself into their life once again.

The rest of the meal went by comfortably and surprisingly pleasant. They talked, Kurt telling Blaine about his studies at NYADA while Blaine explained the beginnings of his study in theater at Tisch. He explained wanting to be able to work on stage as well as off, maybe writing or directing theater productions.

Kurt wasn't surprised. Blaine liked to be in control; deciding how a story goes or ordering people what to do might serve him well, and he knew Blaine would be good at it.

Kurt talked about Rachel, and their final project they had to do at the end of this year.

"That sounds pretty intense," Blaine said between bites of food.

"Oh, it is," Kurt said. "But we have this morning seminar all year long to give us time to prepare for it. Our advisor, Nora, works with us if we need it. They make it easy, I guess."

They continued to catch up and finished their dinners, continuing to talk casually after their plates had been taken away.

"Will this be one check or two?" the waiter asked.

"One," Blaine answered before Kurt could say anything.

Kurt looked at him. "No, two," he said turning back to the waiter.

"Kurt, please, let me." Blaine said.

"One then?" the waiter asked.

"Yes," Blaine said before he walked away.

Kurt smiled but rolled his eyes. "Why did you do that?"

"Because you gave me the pleasure of your company and introduced me to a lovely new restaurant to dine at. It's the least I can do," he said as he rummaged through his wallet.

Kurt sighed, unable to stop himself from admiring Blaine across the table.

After the meal was all paid for, they headed out into the night which was slightly chillier than it had been before they ate.

"I'm really glad we did this," Blaine said as they headed down the sidewalk.

"Me too," Kurt said. "It was a perfect coincidence."

"Indeed it was," Blaine agreed.

They continued walking, Kurt pointing out various interesting avenues or shops or restaurants or theaters. Blaine nodded and tried to keep track of all of the locations, but at the same time, found himself with the inability to keep his eyes off Kurt.

Kurt had grown up, too. His hair was sticking up slightly, only a little different than how he had worn it when they were in high school. His fashion sense remained, but his figure was a little more built, his clothes still hugging his form perfectly. His eyes still danced, maybe even more so as he explained the aspects of the city he always dreamed of. It was one they often had dreamed of being in together, but that dream had been crushed when the prospect of being apart ruined it. Blaine never thought in a million years that it would work. But here they were.

The arrived at the street corner where they had originally met. Kurt needed to keep going down the sidewalk while Blaine needed to start heading north.

"We should do this again sometime," Blaine said with a smile as they stopped on the corner facing each other.

"Definitely," Kurt said. "When's good for you?"

"How about tomorrow?" Blaine asked with little hesitation.

Kurt smiled. "Tomorrow it is."

They hugged one more time before parting ways, holding on to each other maybe a little longer than before, maybe a little longer than they should have.

As they headed back to their dorms, neither was far from the other one's mind.


	5. Adventures

Kurt entered his dorm as quietly as possible but, not surprisingly, there was a knock at the door only moments later.

"Let me in," Rachel called from the hallway.

Kurt did as he was told, opening the door only to have Rachel plow past him and nearly knock him onto floor. She ran and jumped onto his bed giddily.

"Okay, I've been very patient and not called or texted you the whole night, so spill." She smiled expectedly, folding her hands neatly in her lap.

"Well, there's not much to tell, Rach," Kurt responded as he put his keys on the hook by the door and set his wallet on his dresser.

"Yeah, like I'm going to believe that," she shot back.

He laughed. "Okay, okay. So, we had a good time, all right? A great time. We just talked, you know, caught up and…"

"And…?" she pressed.

"And he paid," he finished.

Rachel gasped. "Kurt!" she squealed, flinging the pillow she had in her lap at him.

"What?" he asked, though he knew exactly what she meant.

"I thought you said it wasn't a date!"

"It wasn't," he replied. "Like I said before, we were just catching up. He was being nice. Two people can go out to dinner without it being a date, Rachel."

"Uh huh, sure" she said as she climbed off of the bed, "You keep telling yourself that, Kurt."

The next day was cold, but the sun was shining. Kurt woke up much earlier than we would on any other given Saturday because he knew it wouldn't just be another Saturday. He knew he would be seeing Blaine today.

He got up and hopped in the shower to prepare for another day out.

His memories of his time with Blaine were stored in the back corner of his mind, nothing a little dusting off couldn't fix. His recollections could be pulled up in an instant.

Kurt had memories of their days at Dalton that still hung with him. He remembered that one time, about a week after they had gotten together, that he fell asleep on Blaine's bed while doing homework, and when he woke up, Blaine had moved away from where he had been at his desk and was now fast asleep next to him, holding his hand, their notebooks and textbooks laying at their feet. Kurt watched Blaine as he slept, seeing him in a new way that he didn't get to see any other time. His blazer was off, leaving him in just his white dress shirt, which was now wrinkled slightly, and his tie was loose around his neck. His curls were starting to show, and his breathing was soft.

He looked at their hands, locked together at their sides, and smiled. They had never fallen asleep together before, but the feeling felt comfortable and familiar.

Blaine woke up a couple minutes later, and smiled at Kurt who was still watching him. He brushed a curl from Blaine's forehead and gave him a small kiss on the lips. They laid in relaxed silence for a few minutes before starting to talk and do their homework again.

There were so many times that this sort of thing happened. After Kurt's transfer back, they would spend time hanging out at Kurt's house or going to the Lima Bean after school and spend time with their friends and having movie nights or family dinner/ game nights with the Hummel-Hudson's on the weekends. Stuff that was simple but nonetheless made them so happy. And looking back on it, Kurt knew that it was because of Blaine that he had been so happy. He could have done any of that with his friends from McKinley, but it wouldn't have been the same.

He shut the water off and hopped out to start getting ready. As he was finishing up the last few stylistic things with his hair, he checked his phone to see that he had a missed call.

He smiled upon seeing the name "Blaine" lit up on his phone. He walked into the main part of his room, dialing Blaine's number as he went. It rang three times before Blaine answered.

"Good morning," Blaine said after picking up.

"'Morning," Kurt answered. "How are you doing today?"

"So far, so good," Blaine replied. "How are you?"

"Not too bad," Kurt said. It felt a little weird. So many of their conversations of the past had started like this. There was a brief silence before Blaine spoke again.

"So, would you still like to escort me out today? I have a couple things I'd like for my dorm, but not a real clue as to where I can find them."

"Of course I would," Kurt answered. "I thought you said you've been here for two weeks. Still don't know your way around?"

"Well, I've been a little intimidated by it to be honest."

Kurt didn't know if he was surprised or not. Blaine had always been the cool-and-confident type, but then again, he recalled what being surrounded by New York City for the first time felt like deep down.

"Okay, well how about I meet you at the coffee shop in twenty minutes? We can figure something out," Kurt said.

"That'll be perfect," Blaine replied. "I'll see you soon, Kurt."

They hung up. Kurt grabbed his coat, wallet, keys, and a scarf to brave the cold. He stopped at Rachel's for a minute to say a quick goodbye and offer an explanation for why he may not answer his phone later.

"Go get him, Tiger," she teased as he exited her room and started to head out.

He got outside and being the five minute walk to the coffee shop. He was significantly less nervous than he had been the night before but butterflies still danced in his stomach. He gathered the last little ounce of nerves he had and exhaled before he made his last turn onto the street that the shop resided on.

The butterflies appeared again just as soon as they left. Blaine was leaning against the street lamp on the corner. His dark wash jeans were rolled up at the bottom, something he had done since they were in high school, and a slightly more fitted pea coat hugged his shoulders. His hair was a lot less gelled than he had been doing it in high school, which Kurt was silently thankful for, but it was still there. He was watching the people go by, lifting his sleeve to check the time on his watch every few minutes.

Kurt kept his gaze on Blaine, and when Blaine noticed him he thought his knees would buckle. God, he missed that smile so much.

The fact that he was seeing Blaine smile at him again, the same person that he had so many memories with—his first kiss, his prom, his first "I love you," his first time, and the same person that he secretly thought he was still completely in love with—made him feel weak.

Blaine started to walk to meet Kurt halfway down the sidewalk. "Hey," Blaine called as he got closer, and once again, pulled Kurt into a hug as he greeted him. Kurt was overwhelmed by the fact that Blaine had skipped the cologne today and instead just smelled like the same shampoo he had always used, his coat still having the same scent that he always had.

They pulled apart and started to walk towards the café. "So, what's the plan for today?" Blaine asked.

"You're asking _me_?" Kurt responded, shooting him a look with his eyebrow quirked.

"Well yeah!" Blaine said. "You're the one who knows this metropolis, not me."

"Yeah, but _you're_ the one who asked me to come! I figured you'd have some clue as to where we would be going."

"Well, I guess it will be an adventure then," Blaine said as they reached the coffee shop and he pulled the door open for Kurt.

Kurt smiled. "I guess so."

They got in line, passing the time by discussing what exactly it was that Blaine needed for his dorm.

He, like Kurt, had lucked out and gotten a dorm all to himself. With the selectiveness of their universities, it was easier to do than most, and it meant that they got to make it all their own.

Blaine told Kurt about the record player he had and how he needed plenty of records to play on it.

"You mean you don't have any yet?" Kurt asked.

Blaine looked around, avoiding Kurt's eyes before turning back to him, scrunching up his nose, smiling and shaking his head. "Not _yet_," he said back.

He also wanted some posters for his wall that, as of late, still remained uncovered. "It's awful, Kurt," he was saying. "How can anyone live with white walls?"

Among these things he also needed a couple groceries to store in the mini refrigerator he had, a notebook, and a couple more decorations for his room.

"So nothing too special or out of the ordinary," he finished as they walked up to finally place their order.

Kurt moved in front of Blaine, ordering a Grande nonfat mocha for himself and a medium drip for Blaine.

"Hey, no, wait," Blaine started as he moved forward, but Kurt cut him off.

"Oh no," he said, "You paid for dinner last night, remember?"

"Yeah, but you're doing me all of these favors and—"

"Hardly!" Kurt interjected. "Blaine, please drop it. Just let me pay." He gave Blaine a mildly pleading look.

Finally, Blaine let out a sigh and agreed as he rolled his eyes. They stepped aside to wait for their order. "Thank you, Kurt," he said.

"Don't mention it," Kurt said, giving him a smile.

They grabbed their coffees and headed out after that, stepping onto the sidewalk, pleasantly surprised that in that short amount of time that they were inside that it had warmed up a little bit.

Kurt flagged down a cab and they got in to head over to West Village where Kurt knew there were a lot of places to go to get what Blaine needed.

He looked out his own window and turned to watch Blaine look out his. He could tell Blaine was as enthralled as he had been. He smiled at Blaine, and Blaine turned to him. "What?" he asked, smiling and his eyebrows drawing together.

"Oh, nothing," Kurt said as he looked away. "I just can tell that you're in love with this city as much as I am."

They got out when they arrived in the Village a short while later and started to head down the street.

"Okay, so we can get your notebook and groceries at the same place," he was saying, "and then we can your posters and records at Bleecker Records, and we can go into whatever shops catch your eye for stuff for your room."

They wandered down the sidewalk until they decided to go into a tiny shop that Blaine thought looked interesting.

They walked around the tiny interior of the store which contained a lot of antique items. Blaine found a couple things that felt would be suitable for his room—an old picture frame with its paint starting to chip, an analogue alarm clock, and s small wooden box that was probably meant for jewelry, but it had a "B" engraved under the faded gold lock.

Kurt had spotted it while wondering down an aisle away from Blaine. He took it and looked it over before deciding to show Blaine. He figured he could keep his watch in it, at least.

After Blaine paid they started down the street again. Kurt told Blaine various stories about his adventures with Rachel the previous year, one of them including when they had come to explore the West Village and got completely lost and Rachel started crying because she was afraid that they wouldn't be able to find a cab to take them back.

"Yeah, because there's such a shortage of cabs here," Blaine said with a laugh.

"I know, I know," Kurt got out between fits of laughter. "It was so stupid. _We _were so stupid." They continued laughing until they reached the record shop.

They stepped inside, and Blaine was in awe at the amount of records that one tiny store could have. Records lined every wall and every shelf was packed with as many records as they could fit. There was even a downstairs, he noted.

They searched every genre. Blaine found a copy of the "Let it Be" album that he picked up and held onto. He wondered around, scanning through albums in every genre for something to jump out at him, grabbing one or two here and there.

He and Kurt met at the Musicals.

"I desperately need some inspiration for my final," Kurt was saying as he flipped through them.

"Wait a second," Blaine said, pulling out a record to show Kurt. It was the soundtrack for _Funny Girl_. "I love this one," he said with a grin.

Kurt chuckled. "Rachel would flip if she knew you had this."

"Well I'll just have to get it then," he said as he tucked it under his arm.

"What else do you have?" Kurt asked as he leaned against the shelf, facing Blaine.

Blaine showed him the Beatles record in addition to Elton John, Mumford and Sons, The Police, and Adele.

"Nice choices, though lacking in the musical theater department if you ask me," Kurt teased.

"Well, that's why I'm getting this one!" Blaine said, lightly hitting the _Funny Girl_ record against Kurt's arm.

They ended up picking out a few more from that section before venturing downstairs where the posters were located.

Kurt helped Blaine pick out a couple, including one for Evita, a personal favorite of Blaine's, Les Miserables, and West Side Story. He ended up picking up a poster for Roxy Music as well, just because he could.

They paid and then continued on. They both agreed it was time for a break so they ducked into a tiny, nearly hidden café to get another coffee, then they found a bench outside to rest.

The sun was just starting to set. The chilly air was being to set in once again. Sunlight seeped through the cracks in the trees losing leaves and the wind blew the leaves that had already fallen in nonsensical patterns at their feet.

"We should probably hurry up," Blaine said. "It's getting later, and I don't know if you had plans for later…"

"No, actually," Kurt said quickly. "I don't have anything later."

Blaine looked at him and his lips turned up into a small smile. Kurt knew it was because he adored Blaine so much, but he swore his eyes were better than the color of the sun in the fall evening light.

After acquiring the groceries and picking up the notebook Blaine needed, they headed back to their campuses to drop Blaine's stuff off. They decided that they would ask Rachel if she wanted to join them for dinner that night.

They were looking out the windows as the city's lights began switching on, the streets still basked in a soft, early evening glow.

Kurt was beginning to turn to face forward to check the total when he felt something warm in his hand. He looked down to see Blaine's hand holding onto his.

He turned to look at Blaine, who was resting his head on the back of the seat. He gave Kurt a small smile. His eyebrows knitted together in slight confusion unsure of how to react.

"I just really, really missed you," Blaine said softly, giving his hand a squeeze before letting go and turning to look back out the window.

Kurt blushed, his breathing becoming a little heavier. He swallowed, pulled his wallet out and handed the driver the amount they owed.

They stepped out and began the short walk back. They pulled each other into a hug before going separate ways.

"I missed you too," Kurt whispered in his ear before beginning his walk back.


	6. Late Night

"Rachel! Oh, Raaachel!" Kurt sing-songed as he waltzed into her room a little while later.

"What? What is it, Kurt?" she called, running in from the bathroom.

He ran across the room and leaped onto her bed, laying flat on his stomach and folding his arms under his chin. "What are you up tonight?" he asked.

She was running a brush through her hair. "Well, I was going to go out with Tina. She's in town as part of that traveling theater group she joined, and she has tonight off, so…"

"Oh," Kurt said, a little dejected. "Well why didn't you ask me to go?"

"Well because I knew you'd be busy!" she said, rustling his hair playfully.

"You didn't know that," he said, sitting up to face her.

"Well, I had a pretty good idea," she retorted, giving him a wink.

He huffed. "Okay, okay. You got me. I am going out with Blaine again tonight, but we were going to ask if you wanted to come too!"

She was standing in front of her mirror putting her earrings in. She smirked.

"Knew it," she said.

He rolled his eyes at her and climbed off the bed. "Don't start," he warned her.

She turned around and smiled at him. She took his shoulders. "I won't. If you admit that I totally knew this was going to happen."

"You're impossible," he said, moving towards the door.

"Have fun with Blaine!" she called cheerfully before the door slammed shut.

Kurt loved Rachel, but hated how right she was.

Later that evening, Kurt found himself on their usual corner waiting for Blaine. They agreed to meet again, and hit up Kurt's personal favorite local bar that he thought Blaine would appreciate.

Blaine met him a few minutes later and they headed over. It was a little livelier than the restaurant they had dined at the night before. Dim lights from antique ceiling lamps lit the way throughout the tiny bar and a live band was playing as usual. There was a small dance floor, and food was served in addition to drinks. It was a local hang out for the college students, which made them both relax more. Even though this was their second time going out, neither could deny that the butterflies were still there.

They were seated in a booth in the back corner. The waitress handed them their menus and took their drink orders before leaving them alone once again.

They talked back and forth about random things while they waited. It wasn't long before the other glee members came up.

"Well, I know that Tina is in a traveling theater group right now," Kurt explained as their drinks arrived.

"No kidding," Blaine said, using his fork to get the maraschino cherry out of his Manhattan and popping it into his mouth. "Do you know what show she's in right now?"

"I don't," Kurt said, "I just know that's why Rachel couldn't come with us, she was meeting Tina somewhere."

"And I know that she and Mike are still together. That's something I don't see changing," Blaine said with a tiny laugh.

"Yeah, me either," Kurt said as he took a sip of his vodka & tonic, the lime flavor biting his tongue, keeping him from mentioning that he once thought that'd be true for him and Blaine.

Time went by and nothing much remained besides a slightly emptier bar accompanying their now empty plates pushed aside.

Kurt and Blaine had spent hours talking back and forth, ordering drinks as they were required.

Their glasses began to collect in the corner of the table.

"How do those taste?" Blaine asked Kurt as his new drink arrived.

"Try it," Kurt said, sliding it across the table towards Blaine.

Blaine lifted the glass to his mouth, liking the salt that was around the rim.

He set the drink down, licking his lips and looking at it thoughtfully.

"Not bad," he said.

They grinned at each other for a few moments before Blaine said suddenly, "Let's dance."

He got up and pulled Kurt out of the booth, guiding him over to the dance floor and starting to move his hips. Kurt followed suit, swinging his body next to Blaine. They laughed at themselves, drunk off drinks and old memories. The band had left a while ago so the radio had been put on; as the music picked up, Blaine moved closer to Kurt, moving their bodies closer and closer together. They were so close that Kurt could smell Blaine's alcohol doused breath, see the tiny beads of sweat lining his forehead and the tiny spot of salt remaining on the corner of his lips.

The song ended, the bar nearly empty by that point. Blaine checked his watch to see that it was 12:30 already.

"Let's go for a walk," he said, grabbing Kurt's hand.

"Blaine, it's after midnight," Kurt said dubiously.

"So?" Blaine asked with raised eyebrows.

Kurt chewed his lower lip for a moment before moving forward, letting Blaine pull him out the door.

The coolness of the air contrasted greatly with the heat they had both felt minutes ago. They drifted down the desolate street, a little tipsy but able to keep moving. They ended walking for a long time in silence, crossing down blocks and alleys.

"I hope you know where you're going," Blaine said, slurring his words slightly.

"Hey, who's the one that has lived here for a year?" Kurt asked pointedly.

Blaine held his hands up in surrender. "Whoa, sorry. Didn't mean to offend you."

Kurt flung his arm around Blaine's shoulder. They were approaching an entrance into Central Park. "Let's go in," Kurt said with a devilish grin.

"Isn't it closed?" Blaine asked.

"Who cares?" Kurt asked as he pulled Blaine in. They walked the dark path barely illuminated by the sporadically placed lamps. They came to a clearing. They could see the water in the distance, frogs beginning to sing their evening songs. Cars drove past on the streets in the distance. They were alone, as far as anyone could tell.

Blaine collapsed in a heap on the grass, pulling Kurt down with him. Kurt rested his head on Blaine's shoulder, looking at the water glistening under a crescent shaped moon, city lights twinkling beyond.

"This is nice," Blaine said softly after a while. Kurt nodded against his shoulder. His eyes were starting to drift shut. He was enjoying the New York sounds, the dewy grass and Blaine's warmth against his side, Blaine's lips planting a few sweet kisses on top of his head.

Kurt peered up at Blaine who looked back at him. Blaine, not as clean shaven as he had once always been, a little less gel coating his hair, but the familiar scent and feel of his soft clothes. And Blaine looked back at Kurt whose hair still smelled like vanilla but was sticking up more than it did a year ago, whose frame felt so familiar in his arms.

And then Blaine was on top of Kurt, straddling his lap and planting kisses on his lips, on his jaw and on his neck.

Kurt's breathing picked up as he brought his hands to rest on top of the small of Blaine's back, sitting up slightly to pull Blaine forward to kiss his lips once more.

The taste of alcohol still remained, lingering with the cinnamon gum Blaine had popped in his mouth after dinner mixing with the spearmint gum that Kurt had been chewing.

Blaine moaned slightly, moving his arms down Kurt's side and pushing his lips harder against Kurt's, something he hadn't done in so long.

Things were heating up further before they heard voices from down the road.

"Wait," Kurt hissed.

Blaine sat up straight, moving off of Kurt and listening.

They definitely heard voices.

"C'mon!" Blaine yelped, grabbing Kurt's hand and pulling him to his feet. They giggled and sprinted as fast as they could out of the darkness of the park and onto the better lit streets of the city.

They continued running down the sidewalk, side by side until they were both too out of breath to go on. They continued laughing, and Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulder to steady himself.

"How can you—run like that—when you're—this drunk?" Kurt got out between laughs and deep breaths.

"Because I can. Running and standing are completely different, Kurt!"

"Yeah, with the ladder being about ten times easier!" he pointed out and smacking Blaine on the shoulder. They broke apart and stood staring at each other on the empty sidewalk.

Their breathing slowed, became more relaxed and the reality of what they had just been doing settled in. They had kissed, and not only that, but had gone a lot further only a few minutes ago.

Kurt's eyes scanned Blaine's face, dipped down his body, and whether it was the alcohol talking or his love for this boy that never left, he didn't know; all he knew was that he wanted—needed Blaine.

He rushed forward, enveloping Blaine's slightly smaller frame in his and crashing their lips together, hungrily getting the taste he had longed for.

Blaine reciprocated just as much, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist. It then occurred to them that they were still in the middle of the street; they needed to move. Kurt took Blaine's hand and led him back to his dorm.

They crept down the hall quietly, Blaine rubbing Kurt's back as he dug his key out and unlocked the door.

They stumbled inside, Blaine moving Kurt backwards until they hit the bed. Blaine climbed on top of Kurt, kissing quickly, breath heavy. Kurt responded back just as passionately, sucking Blaine's lower lip quickly into his mouth, biting it lightly before running his tongue over it. Blaine moaned, moving his hands up to cup Kurt's face. Their hips started to move together, slowly. Little moans and soft, breathless sighs began to fill the room as each boy responded just as much as the other, moving in time and relishing in the pleasure they had been missing for so long. Not just the sensuality of it all, but that it was Kurt and it was Blaine. They had each other, and that was what each really craved.

Kurt started to undo Blaine's belt when Blaine stopped suddenly. He sat up suddenly, shaking his head.

"I can't do this, Kurt," he said, starting to climb off the bed.

Kurt sat up immediately, completely lost and distorted from the alcohol. His head was throbbing. "What?" he asked brokenly. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," Blaine said, walking over and pulling the door open.

"Blaine, wait," Kurt said as he tried to get up.

"Please, Kurt, don't," Blaine said before letting the door shut behind him.

Kurt's tears started to fall, the shatter of the closing door feeling all too familiar.


	7. Decisions

Kurt woke up on Sunday morning buried in his blankets, his blinds shut tight and disallowing the sunlight to flood in. He groaned as he stretched his legs and arms out. Reaching out for his phone, he saw that it was just after 11.

He threw the layers of blankets off of his upper half and rolled over, hugging his pillow close to his chest. He felt like he had been hit by a truck. Twice.

He was just starting to drift back into sleep when he heard a knock at his door. "Kurt?" a muffled voice called from behind the door. A couple more knocks. "Kurt, are you in there?"

"Rachel, go away, I don't really want to talk right now," he shouted back. The knocking stopped for a few minutes.

"Kurt?" she called again, a little quieter this time.

"Ugh," he groaned as he hauled himself up and flung the door open. He knew she wouldn't leave, so it was no use in arguing with her.

He threw himself back on the bed and tugged his blankets back up over his head. Rachel came and sat on the edge of the back, staying silent for a few minutes.

"What happened?" she finally asked gently.

He poked his head out of the sheets. "I don't know. We went drinking last night—"

"Wait a second, that's not legal!" she interjected.

"Well we went to Ashley's, you know they don't care. I was buying," he explained. "Anyways, we hung out there, you know, drinking and dancing before we left around 12:30. We went to Central Park and kind of fooled around a little bit. And it felt so right, Rach. I missed him so much." She nodded understandingly, her eyes widening a little and continued listening. "And then we decided to come back here, and we were kissing and everything was going fine…and then he left. He just got up and left, like that. No explanation or anything." He ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his eyes.

"Why would he do that? I mean, he broke up with you and he was the one who wanted to reconnect to begin with…it's so strange," she commented. Kurt looked at her, giving a tell-me-what-I-don't-know look. "But it is Blaine, Kurt. You know he wouldn't just leave without a good reason."

"Do I?" he shot back. "We haven't talked in a year. People change. He was just drunk and when he realized what he was doing he wanted out right away. It's not hard to figure out. I really just need to work on getting over him."

She climbed up next to him and took his hand. "Kurt, you _know_ Blaine. There is a reason for everything, including this. It will be resolved. Just keep your chin up, okay? Don't mope around all day- we've got lots of work to do."

He sighed. "You're right. Lying around sulking won't do me any good, and it definitely won't get me anymore finished with my final."

She nodded. "Okay. What do you say you get cleaned up and we meet in the library to get some work done? It's the perfect day for it."

He smiled at her. "Okay."

She reciprocated, holding her arms out for a hug.

"Thank you," he said as he let go of her.

"Don't mention it," she said as got up and left him alone to get ready for the day

The pair met in the library an hour later, laptops out and theater show catalogues propped open as they furiously tried to figure their plan out for the final.

"God, as if these original works aren't enough, we have to be able to sell a heart-wrenching performance too? I am screwed, Rachel," Kurt sulked.

"Oh, you are not. You know you can pull this off almost as well as I can."

He shot her a look but she failed to notice. "Okay, so you're going to do 'Don't Rain on my Parade,' we all know that, but what about the original works part? Not forgetting that are you?"

"Okay, first of all, after what happened with my first audition for NYADA, 'Don't Rain on my Parade' is officially out," she said crossly. "And second of all, I already am well into my original work." She threw down the pen she was holding and crossed her arms to emphasize her point.

"Okay, okay, chill out," he said. "Just wondering is all."

"And what about _you_? How's _your_ assignment coming along?" she asked pointedly.

He started to bite his lower lip, knowing that she had a point. He hadn't made much progress that week in class, not even knowing or having the slightest clue as to which song he wanted to perform yet. And his original stuff? Not even close.

"You're right," he said finally. "I got pretty caught up with everything this week. But not anymore. It's time to focus on me and my goals and getting this stupid project done."

"Well, we do have the whole year," she reminded him.

"I know, but we need every second we can get. Especially if our ex's keep showing up and sweeping us off our feet," he said bitterly.

She gave him a small smile and patted his arm, a silent gesture telling him to calm down before they resumed their work.

Blaine didn't call Kurt once that day. Or text him. Kurt went to sleep feeling a little more accomplished with his work but also feeling completely dejected over everything else, no matter how many times he told himself not to. He couldn't shake the feeling.

And it wasn't that Blaine didn't want to contact Kurt. Not doing that was killing him on the inside. He had an immeasurable amount of homework to do on Sunday so he locked himself in his dorm, sat at his desk, and did it. He didn't get up to eat, go out to talk to any of his friends, anything. He simply stayed in his room drinking coffee throughout the day and cramming through everything that he needed to get done.

He knew that if he had stayed with Kurt on Saturday night, he would have done something he really regretted. Not because it was Kurt who he was with, but because they had both been so drunk that they could barely remember their names. He realized how much he missed Kurt, how he still loved him. That much was overwhelming clear, and he had a hunch that Kurt might feel the same way. After all, it hadn't been hard to just pick up where they had ended. But to just take advantage of their states in that hour would have been so damaging. He was glad that he had enough sense to realize this at the time, still unsure just of how it worked out. But the fact that he just walked out on Kurt, offering no explanation, made it about ten times worse. He wouldn't be surprised if Kurt never wanted to talk to him again for walking out on him a second time.

But the more Blaine thought about it, the more he didn't want that to happen. He didn't want Kurt to think that he would do that. He knew he had to make it right. So he went to bed that night, a well formulated plan still fresh in his mind.

The next morning Kurt dragged himself out of bed, motivated only by the prospect of fresh coffee and an hour to get some more work done. He showered and got himself ready for the day, coordinating his outfit and spending extra time with his hair in an effort to cheer himself up. He made it out the door with plenty of time to spare.

He knew he was risking running into Blaine if he did this, but it was something he was willing to risk. He entered the coffee shop and was about to pay for his order when the employee behind the counter, someone he knew pretty well, stopped him.

"Your coffee is on the house today, Kurt," he said with a smile.

Kurt's eyebrows knitted together. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I know it's the start of the week and it's early and I know you're super busy, so don't worry about it. It's on me today," he said with a charming smile.

"Oh. Well thanks," Kurt said giving him a shy smile. He stood and waited for his drink patiently. It wasn't until Kurt exited the shop that he noticed "Cameron" and a number written on the side of the cup.

Kurt ran into their morning class and practically ran Rachel over when he reached her seat. "Get. This," he said, thrusting the cup in her face.

She was silently looking it over. "What, I don't—Oh…" she said when she saw the number on the side.

"I know!" Kurt squealed.

"Well, didn't take long for you to get over Blaine, did it?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I mean…didn't we talk about this yesterday? I need to stop thinking about Blaine. This is a sign!"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Kurt. I can't make your decisions for you."

Later that night, Kurt was going back and forth between doing his homework, asking Rachel if she wanted to go out, and calling the Cameron the coffee shop barista.

Of course he wasn't over Blaine, but Blaine had made no effort to contact him, so why should he just sit around and wait? That'd be silly, he thought. And besides, Cameron was cute and sweet; what would the harm be in just calling him?

In the end, he dialed Cameron's number.

The next day, Kurt filled Rachel in on everything.

"Ugh, I don't know, Kurt. This all seems a little crazy to me. You don't even know the guy!" she said.

"Not true! He's been giving me my coffee practically every day for a year. That's more than Blaine did," he said sullenly.

"Hey, Kurt, stop. We've gone back and forth with this for forever. Now, what if I told you that Blaine wanted to talk to you again?"

Kurt scoffed. "Yeah, he does that a lot. He talks to me and things are fine and then he just leaves. Forgets about me. Leaves me to wonder what's happening next, if anything. It gets really old really fast, Rachel."

"Did you ever stop to think that he's doing that because he thinks it's for what he thinks is best? Have you ever asked him or talked to him about it?"

"I never get a chance to!" he protested.

She sighed. "I don't want you to give up, Kurt. I'm sure there's more that you don't know."

"That's likely," he said sarcastically.

She threw a sheet of paper at him. "Take this. Read it. Think about it. For everyone's sake, okay?" He watched her get up and leave, leaving him alone in the room with a few other students. He unfolded the paper and read:

_Dear Kurt, _

_I'm sorry. I know I've said that before, and I know it doesn't change anything, but I need to talk to yo. I need you to know everything, about what I'm feeling. If you'll listen, I'll meet you at the lamp post in Central Park on Thursday at 5. _

_-B._

Kurt read the words over and over again. Why should he give Blaine another chance after everything that's unfolded? Sure, they had fun, and Kurt really did love him. Or he thought he did. His thoughts meandered back and forth between what to do for the next couple days causing his concentration to be especially weak in school and conversations to be dull with Rachel, but he made a decision.

It was Thursday evening and Blaine was waiting where he said he would be. The sun was setting, its late afternoon rays shining low through the tree branches as cool air surrounded him. He was waiting for Kurt. Waiting to explain that the only reason he kept walking out was because he didn't know how to decide what to do, how he didn't know if it was better to do what was easier or what was right. He wanted him to know that he never stopped loving him and that Saturday night wasn't a mistake, that he just wanted everything to be special and mean what it did in the past for both of them. And most of all, he didn't want to hold Kurt back from everything that he knew he could become. He just didn't know what he was doing, but he knew that in order to try and fix everything, to make things right, he couldn't keep walking out. And he wouldn't. Not anymore.

The words were formulated in his mind, and he was finally ready to tell Kurt everything, hoping Kurt would understand and that they could figure it out together.

In the end, Kurt never came. Blaine stood waiting until 8 with two cold cups of coffee and a silenced heart.


	8. Advice

**I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE THIS! Things got crazy with exams and graduation and all of that, so I'm sorry it's been a while. I hope you enjoy! **

"Looking back on it, waiting for three hours was probably a little much," Blaine's friend Nick told him the next day.

Nick was a year older than him and had been a Warbler with him at Dalton. He was doing an internship in New York at the time, so he and Blaine met at a coffee shop the next day.

Blaine slammed his coffee cup down a little harder than he should have. "Well what if he came and I wasn't there? I would have missed my chance and messed everything up even further."

Nick looked at him unconvinced.

"It was just as hard to stay as it was to leave," Blaine continued.

Nick nodded in understanding.

"I mean," Blaine continued, "How come everything in life is so complicated? Why isn't anything as simple as it seems? I should just be able to stay with him for a night and tell him everything that he means to me and keep him close without feeling like I'm holding him back. But I always feel like I am, so that's why I let him go. I'm…I really just have no idea what I'm doing."

He dropped his head, overwhelming dejection and confusion washing over him. He took a couple deep breaths before looking up at Nick. Nick just stared back.

"I think I'm done," Blaine said.

They both broke out into laughter. That resolved some of the tension Blaine had been bottling up.

"It's clear that you've got a lot of pent up feelings about this," Nick started. Blaine nodded, shrugging his shoulders a little. "But how can you ever expect to release all of that when you're constantly running away? Face it, Blaine, you can't rely on that every time."

"I know, I know," Blaine said, frustrated. "I wasn't ever taught how to deal with my problems, considering all of the people in my life usually just ignore them. But I guess I should know better by now."

"I guess so," Nick replied. "The good news is that it might not be too late. You can hope it isn't anyways. Put up the good fight, keep trying to talk to him. You never know what could happen. You guys have been there and back, you know each other inside and out. You'll make it through."

Blaine smiled. "Thanks, Nick."

"Anytime," Nick said back.

Around the corner, Kurt was returning home from his second date with Cameron. They had gone out the night before, and had just gotten back from coffee at a different shop than Cameron worked at.

"I don't think I could handle going there on my day off," Cameron said with a laugh.

"I understand that," Kurt replied. Cameron walked Kurt up to his room. They stood outside of it and talked for a few minutes before Kurt invited Cameron into his room.

They continued talking. They both ended up sitting on Kurt's bed before Cameron leaned in.

It took Kurt by complete surprise, eliciting a tiny gasp as Cameron pushed his lips closer against Kurt's. He let himself fall into the kiss for a moment, seeing what kissing someone else felt like. After all, Blaine had been the only boy he had ever kissed. He figured it wouldn't hurt to explore what it felt like to be with someone else; Blaine had practically granted him that luxury when he left the second time.

But what he felt was not surprising, and it was actually really nothing at all. Nothing except longing for more, longing for what he couldn't have. He longed for the faint mix of cinnamon and coffee that lingered on Blaine's breath when they kissed, he missed feeling the curls at the nape of his neck, he missed Blaine's hands holding his waist tight and flush against his own. It wasn't anything like his current situation, which he knew he needed to get out of.

He firmly but gently put his hand up on Cameron's chest causing him to pull away. Cameron gave him a slightly confused look.

"Cameron, I'm sorry," Kurt said looking down. "But I don't think I can do this."

Cameron bent his head down to try and look at Kurt. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no," Kurt shook his head. "It's just that…I don't know if I should have agreed to this in the first place. I'm, um…I kind of have feelings for someone else."

Cameron bit his lower lip and nodded his head. "Hey, I understand, Kurt. It's okay— really." Kurt looked up as Cameron got up and walked towards the door. He gave Kurt a small smile before leaving.

Kurt fell back on his bed and let out a sigh as he rubbed his eyes. He knew this was way more complicated than it should be.

Weeks began to pass and the air grew harsher. Silence remained between Kurt and Blaine as snow occasionally started to fall in the city as white lights were strung. Rachel's dads were planning to visit her over Thanksgiving break, so Kurt was going to be traveling to Lima alone.

He left on Wednesday after his last class and arrived home by 8:00 pm. Burt had picked him up from the airport and brought him home where he was greeted with a homemade meal and an excited family.

"Honey, welcome home!" Carole greeted as she pulled him into a tight hug. "We've missed you so much, you must tell us everything," she started saying. They pulled apart and Kurt went over to give Finn a hug too.

"Good to see you, man," Finn said as he patted Kurt on the back. They all chatted and filed into the kitchen where the table was already set and a full meal was waiting. They took their usual seats where they always sat when Finn and Kurt still lived at home.

"How is school going, Kurt? I remember you saying a while back that it was getting more difficult this year," Carole asked as she served some food on his plate.

"It's a little rough but I'm doing all right, I guess. Rachel and I have been working together on a lot of work, so that helps."

"How is Rachel?" Finn asked quietly. He and Rachel had broken up before their freshman year of college; Finn now shared an apartment with Puck and he worked at Burt's a lot of the time between other jobs and attending their community college for the second year. Kurt knew he missed her.

"Rachel is doing well. She's, of course, acing her performance classes but I've had to help her in math. I still don't understand why we need to take math when I am obviously never going to use that torture device again."

They laughed and continued discussing all of the various aspects of everybody's lives; Burt's shop was booming after his political stint that he had ended this year. Carole was still working her days as a nurse, and Finn was doing well in all of his classes and had planned to apply to more universities in next month.

After dinner they all cleaned up and went into the family room to watch a movie. They were lucky that they all got along and were able to do this; it was sort of a tradition when Kurt and Finn were home.

But Kurt would be lying if he said he watched the movie without a heavy heart. He missed Blaine and wished he had more answers, and truthfully it was hard to focus on anything else. They hadn't talked in at least a month, if not more. He wondered if he would be spending Thanksgiving with his family—his parents probably made him fly back to a stuck up party he knew Blaine would hate that would involve extended family. He wishes he could invite him over, but then again he didn't even know if he was back in Lima for sure and—he was definitely getting ahead of himself. He attempted to silence his thoughts and tried to finish the movies with the rest of his family without much success.

Kurt tossed and turned throughout most of the night and finally decided to go downstairs early on the morning of Thanksgiving. He had seen that it was just after 6 when he headed into the kitchen and was surprised to see Burt already up and making coffee.

"Hey, Dad, what are you doing up so early?" Kurt asked as he stifled a yawn.

"I could ask you the same question," Burt replied taking a seat at the table.

"Touché," Kurt replied. He walked over and pulled a seat out to sit next to Burt.

"So what's up really, Kurt? You've been acting a little weird ever since I picked you up from the airport."

Kurt looked up from where he had been staring at the floor. His dad had loved Blaine and had been upset after the break up, for Kurt's sake and the fact that he would miss Blaine. Kurt hadn't kept him up to date on everything this year, so he figured it was time he took care of that.

He told Burt everything—seeing Blaine in the coffee shop for the first time, their dates, Blaine leaving again, Cameron. Burt listened to Kurt spill everything out and nodded his head as each detail came out.

No doubt that Burt was surprised and when Kurt finally finished and caught his breath from his whirlwind of storytelling, he stated a resounding…"wow."

Kurt looked up biting his lip. "It's kind of a mess," he finished.

"Love is never easy," Burt said.

"What if I don't love him, Dad? This has…or should have been done a long time ago." Burt stared back at him unconvinced. "Okay, you got me," Kurt said dejected with a sigh. "Maybe I miss him."

Burt laughed. "Yeah, I'll say. Or should I say, I don't think that you would still be thinking about it this much if you didn't at the very least care about him."

"I guess," Kurt said. Burt stood up and poured them each a cup of coffee. He walked over and handed Kurt his cup and he wrapped his hands around it taking in the warmth.

"Kurt, I can't tell you how to live your life. You're a grown man now, you're not my little boy. And I'm okay with that, I'm thankful for all that we have. But I am going to give you some advice: give him one more chance. Love can be as scary as it can be hard."

Burt got up and gave Kurt a pat on the arm as he walked away.

Tears pricked Kurt's eyes as they started to form. "I know," he said softly.

Burt's dad sent Kurt out to get something at the grocery store that they needed for dinner later that day. He walked around, ended up bumping into Mike and Tina who both were able to get back to Lima for the holiday and talked with them for a few minutes.

"How are you doing, Kurt?" Tina asked him.

"I'm doing all right," Kurt said and explained how school was going and living next to Rachel.

Mike brought Blaine up. Kurt knew he would—he and Blaine were always really good friends.

"Is he back in Lima for the holiday?" Kurt asked casually.

"Yeah, I just saw him yesterday," Mike answered. "Spending Thanksgiving with his family, you know."

They continued catching up and then left each other and promising to get together while they were all still home for a couple days.

Kurt grabbed what he needed and headed for the self-checkout. He was scanning his items when he looked up and saw a familiar head of curly hair walking in.

His eyes grew wide. He knew it was Blaine. Slightly gelled hair. Black pea coat. Red scarf. Those warn oxfords he loved so much. Kurt watched him walk in, grab a cart and head in the opposite direction. Kurt quickly bagged his stuff and ran out to the parking lot with an idea in mind.

He threw his stuff in his car and went on a mad search for Blaine's car. When he finally found it, he grabbed the tiny notebook he kept with him and a pen and scrawled a note on it, attaching it to Blaine's windshield and took off before Blaine would see him.

Blaine walked out of the store with three bags full of groceries for his parents. He loaded them up in his car before going around the front when a tiny slip of paper caught his eye.

He grabbed it and read it through once before rereading it three more times to make sure he was reading what it actually said.

_Meet me at the park at 1. I'll be waiting. _

_K._

Blaine lifted his sleeve and checked the time. It was just before 12:30. He quickly climbed in his car and sped home to drop the food off and then headed immediately for the resident park in Lima.

It was a tiny park. There was a playground and a fairly decent sized pond, a field and a path for walking around the perimeter.

Blaine parked his car sloppily and hopped out. The ground was covered in snow, but the water sparkled still. He walked around and checked the time on his watch again—1:03.

He glanced around nervously for Kurt, his heart pounding. He needed to see him, he needed to know there was a chance. He needed to feel Kurt and hold him close, to tell him all that he couldn't before. He ran past the path and up a small hill where their favorite tree was. He looked around from the crest of the hill, turning his head in every direction when he felt it—a tap on his shoulder. He twisted around and felt the immediate press of a body against his, a pair of arms around his neck and the scent of Kurt's hair brushing against his nose.


	9. Home

**Hi, guys :) Hope things are going well. Here's the update. And because of how things worked out, THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER BEFORE THE EPILOGUE! To be honest, I didn't plan it this way. I'm sorry if it's a surprise, but it's just how it worked out. I think you will understand why. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the update & look forward to the epilogue!**

Kurt's hands went around Blaine's neck instantly as he felt the other boy's go around his waist and pull him close. He breathed in the familiar scent of Blaine's house in Lima where his coat had probably been hanging, and smiled as his curls that were coming undone tickled his neck.

Similarly, Blaine was taking in all of Kurt. I'm home, he thought as he tightened his grip around his waist.

They embraced one another in silence for a few minutes before pulling back. Kurt kept his hands on Blaine's shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"I'm sorry," he started.

Blaine held a hand up. "Just let me kiss you."

Blaine brought his hands up to cup Kurt's cheeks and pull him forward. Kurt allowed himself to be pulled closer to Blaine and a wave of relief washed over him as Blaine's warm lips ghosted over his briefly before pressing together fully.

Kurt couldn't help but sigh as the kiss gave him everything he had been missing. It wasn't like their drunken excapades on that cool night in Central Park, and it definitely wasn't like kissing Cameron. Kurt was overcome with the familiarity of kissing Blaine, how soft and warm his lips were against Kurt's own and how safe it felt to be surrounded by the boy he had still loved and spent so much time missing for so long.

They finally pulled apart and rested their foreheads together, just standing and breathing slightly heavier than they had been before.

"Kurt," Blaine whispered before tilting his head up to look into Kurt's eyes again.

Kurt smiled back at him and nodded. "I know."

"No, I'm sorry," Blaine started again. "I need to say it now, and I need you to hear me. I'm so, so sorry that I left you. I can't back up or change the way things were, but I can tell you that I'm here now, and I won't leave if you don't want me to. I'm here, and I love you, and there's possibly nothing that I've ever meant more. I love you."

Kurt's eyes had closed and he settled his head on Blaine's again. "I love you, too. And I know. And that's all that matters."

Blaine nodded. He understood. They continued to stand and exchange lustful kisses of longing. They wanted to be closer than what they could be, so they settled for what was possible.

"Come over," Kurt said. "After dinner with your family, come to my house."

"Okay," Blaine said before planting yet another kiss on Kurt's lips which were becoming swollen.

They parted with much resistance but eventually made it back to their own houses.

Kurt filled Burt and Carole in as he helped them finish cooking dinner and setting the table.

"Is it okay if he comes over after we're done here?" Kurt asked. Carole chuckled and Burt answered for them.

"We'd love to see him, Kurt," he said with a smile.

Thanksgiving dinner was pleasant at Kurt's house. They had a nice home cooked meal shared between the three of them plus Finn and Puck, and that was enough. Kurt was actually admittedly happy to see Puck, as he hadn't seen him since the all shared their thanks for each other and their lives, their families joining together and so on. They finished with full stomachs and heavy eyelids.

Blaine's situation was much different than Kurt's, however. His cold family room was filled with a meal that his mom had put together, which was very nice, but the atmosphere was so stifling that Blaine thought he would choke. His older brother, Cooper, was unable to make it home for the holiday leaving him with his parents and grandparents, neither of which were a pleasant pair.

His grandfather asked him all about his studies at college, refusing to acknowledge that it was Tisch that he was studying at.

"It's great. I'm really starting to think that I want to be a stage director, you know? That way I can still be a part of a performance but also have control over how it's performed."

"Mm," his grandfather hummed, clearly uninterested. "Don't see why you 'd waste your time on such a silly thing," he said under his breath.

His grandmother cleared her throat, silencing him. They continued eating on in silence.

After Blaine helped clean up everything, he told everyone that he was going to Kurt' s house as he pulled his jacket on.

"Kurt Hummel?" his father asked. "I thought you two broke up years ago?"

"We took a break last year. We're back together, and I want to see him," Blaine said shortly.

Blaine's dad waved a hand at him. Blaine didn't think of his behavior as informative or understated; his parents really wanted nothing to do with his love life, and that was fine with him as long as they didn't insult it.

He stepped outside, got in his car, and began his journey to Kurt's house. It was a funny feeling; he had taken this route so many times in his high school career before Kurt left for New York, and here he was again. Everything had changed, yet they had become the same as they had been. He smiled in spite of himself.

*

Blaine took a couple deep breaths before knocking on the Hudson-Hummel front door. He hadn't done it in so long, so nerves were there inevitably, but to the same extent he knew he was home there. He smiled when the door opened to reveal Kurt in his pajamas.

Blaine checked his watch, confused at the outfit choice. It read just after 8:30. "Oh, sorry I'm late," he said. "That went longer than I planned on."

"It's okay," Kurt said extending his hand to lead Blaine inside. Blaine took it with a smile and allowed himself to be pulled in by Kurt.

The familiar scent of Kurt's house was overwhelming as he slid off his jacket. He smiled as he peeked around the corner to see Burt and Carole snuggled on the couch in the living room while Puck sat passed out in a lounge chair and Finn was sprawled out on the floor and watching a football game.

"C'mon," Kurt said quietly. "They're dying to see you!"

Blaine and Kurt rounded the corner to the room and Carole was on her feet in an instant and enveloping Blaine in a tight hug.

"Oh, sweetheart, we've missed you so much! How are you? How is school going? Are you doing well in New York? How are your folks?"

"Geez, Carole, let him breathe," Burt said with a chuckle.

She let go and blushed. "I'm sorry, Blaine, It's just so good to see you."

He laughed. "It's all right, it's great seeing you guys too. I'm doing really well, how about yourselves?"

Their chatter roused Puck from his sleep and upon seeing Blaine there he got a gleam in his eye and got up to hug him but ended up tackling him to the ground with his hands wrapped tightly around him.

Blaine let out a huge laugh as he patted Puck's back. "Good to see you too, man. How's it going?"

"Anderson, I haven't seen you since I graduated! How the hell are ya?"

"No one is letting you breathe by yourself," Kurt said as he extended a hand and pulled Blaine to his feet. As he did, Finn walked over and gave Blaine a big smile.

"Hey dude, how's it going?" They gave each other a hug and the six of them sat around the living room and discussed where they were and how they were doing in their own lives. Blaine was happy to hear how well everyone was doing and was excited to tell them all about his plans because he knew they would actually care to hear them.

They watched the football game and ate pumpkin pie for dessert and started to doze off again around midnight. They started to head to their bedrooms, Puck following Finn to his and Blaine following Kurt to his.

Kurt flicked on the light and Blaine smiled upon noticing that not a thing had changed in his room. It was the same as it had been the last night he saw Kurt before they became reacquainted.

Kurt smiled shyly. "So, I can go get another mattress if you'd prefer to sleep on the floor, or…" he trailed off.

Blaine smiled and walked over to him, placing his hands on Kurt's waist and planting a lingering kiss on his lips. "If it's all right," he whispered as he pulled away, "I want to sleep with you."

Kurt blushed but nodded and smiled. "Okay."

Blaine unzipped his jeans and took his sweatshirt off so he was left in his boxers and t shirt. Although Kurt hadn't seen him like this in some time, they had so many intimate moments in their time together that this wasn't even remotely uncomfortable or unusual despite the time that had passed.

Kurt pulled the covers down and stripped his clothes off so he was dressed in a similar manner. They had slept in Kurt's bed together before, and as they had done so in the past, Blaine climbed in on the right and Kurt on the left. He snuggled his back to Blaine's chest and hummed as Blaine's warmth surrounded him.

They laid in silence for a few moments before Blaine spoke.

"I'm so happy to be here."

Kurt twisted around so that he was facing Blaine. He planted a kiss on Blaine's lips before speaking. "Me too."

Blaine kissed back and returned it with another. And then another. He sucked Kurt's bottom lip into his mouth and began to nibble on it before swiping his tongue over it and slipping his tongue into Kurt's mouth. Kurt moaned and rolled on top of Blaine. Their longing for each other had become so overwhelming, and the fact that they were together and able to share that was almost too good to be true. Their love for one another filled their evening as they showed each other how much they had missed one another and whispered promises of that love and promises to never leave.

*

The next morning found Kurt and Blaine tangled together in a mess of limbs and sheets. Kurt woke up first, finding himself facing Blaine fast asleep in his arms. He smiled and pushed a couple of curls off his forehead before placing a kiss on the tip of his nose.

Blaine wrinkled it with a smile, his eyes still shut. He let out a soft groan and turned to lay on his back. Kurt propped himself up on one elbow and traced a finger down Blaine's jaw and neck.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," he said softly

Blaine let out another groan before cracking an eye open.

"You always were the morning person," he said.

Kurt gave him a kiss on the lips. Blaine kissed back and brought his hand up to Kurt's hair which had become tousled and messy. Kurt was so elated that he didn't care, and he knew Blaine didn't mind either.

They laid together and kissed lazily as morning sunlight faintly faded into the room.

They got out of bed around 8 and got dressed to go downstairs.

Burt and Carole were already awake and talking over cups of coffee and the morning paper when they got there.

They were greeted with smiles and offers of cups of coffee and content conversation as a soft snowfall started. They watched out the kitchen windows as a couple inches added to the already snow-covered ground.

Puck and Finn joined them just after 10 and the group sat together for a while as they woke up and discussed possible plans for the day ahead.

Carole cooked them homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch before they decided to all go see a movie together.

The gang loaded up in two cars and drove to the theater that was ten minutes away. Kurt and Blaine held hands through the entirety, and Kurt swore he saw Carole give a knowing smile in their direction on more than one occasion.

After the movie they all went out to dinner before going back to the house. They settled down into the living room similarly to the night before, with full bellies and tiredness washing over them, before putting a movie in and all falling asleep.

The rest of Thanksgiving break went by in similar fashion, and when Kurt and Blaine left for New York at the end of the weekend, they departed hand in hand.


End file.
